LIFE & ARTS
B4 Graphic JOSH DOWNS STAFF WRITER
March 29, 2012
Culinary Corner: Make a flauta By EDGAR HERNANDEZ LIFE & ARTS EDITOR
My life on the Z-list: Cover your Facebook
With Facebook’s Timeline fast approaching for everyone, I have been spending an unholy amount of time frantically searching for a cover photo. What single photo do I choose to accurately broadcast myself as a grounded optimist with a tangible grasp on reality and a working relationship with my pervasive maturity and religious certainty? I could go with a photo of a quote, typed with a broken typewriter or colorfully strewn on a wall underneath a bridge! But which quote to choose? It would have to be something more vague than the waiver I signed at Uncle Leonard’s Discount Bungee Fun (more bounce for your buck!), lest my intellectually inferior friends conclude that they are able to grasp my truly unique mind. If someone ever has the courage to question the quote, I must be able to instantly explain it using only ambiguous quotes from Joanna Newsom, PostSecret, Dr. Suess, the New Testament or a fortune cookie (which I always keep in abundance in my glove box, just in case). I could even write the quote in French, rewarding the few that understand it and alienating the rest that must either look it up or hang their confused head low. (i.e. “tu es un tricheur”). I could rely on irony and choose a picture that makes people either smile, nod, utter “amen” under their breath, chuckle, knowingly groan or click “about” to research my political affiliation. But what picture could fully capture the essence of my inimitable sense of humor or my unfalteringly accurate perception of current world issues? If I had access to a camera, a zoo with a healthy penguin population and a trampoline, I would combine my love for the adorable and my love for societal rebellion by photographing those formal little devils “flying” over the revolving zoo exit doors (the political significance of this mental image just made me pass out for seven seconds). I could succumb to sentimentality and use a photo of myself among friends. But which friends could I use to advertise myself as an independent artisan of creativity? This group of friends would have to include an eclectic combination of welldressed individuals so that each of my high school acquaintances will know how relevant I am. I have been so thirsty for social exclusion ever since people stopped caring about my top eight friends on Myspace and this cover photo option would finally quench that thirst. Of course, I would have to choose at least 13 friends to cater to the obnoxiously horizontal dimensions of the cover photo, but that shouldn’t be a problem now that I’m one of no less than 14 staff writers at the Graphic. If you are reading this and would like to appear in my cover photo, please lose 10 pounds and then email me a picture of yourself, pre-morning shower, with a beautiful landscape behind you (not the Grand Canyon — get creative, you lazy bum) and a shrewd look of content contempt. I could maximize on my travel opportunities and use a picture of me in a place that implies wealth and broadness of mind. But which location could I choose that would instill jealously as well as admiration in the hearts of my followers? I have several pictures of myself enjoying French delicacies, Norwegian landscapes, Austrian strolls and Mexican beverages. Each of these places has taught me a new strand of ethnocentrism and it would be selfish of me not to give them credit for my now impenetrable American pride. Or better yet, I could put a picture of just a location, with no sign of life, that would either imply that I have the ability to fondly recollect or that I have life goals and bucket lists. That would put the “hot” back into “photo.” In the end, I will probably just embrace my ever-growing appreciation for modernism (and its cousins — laziness and idiocy) and use a picture of a turkey baster or a teddy bear. There has never been a picture taken that can say all I want it to, so I will take a deep breath, open wide and say it myself. Coffee, anyone?
Unsure of what to cook for this week’s issue, I thought of my favorites foods I eat when I’m home. It didn’t take long to find a common thread in my favorite foods. Back home, quite a few of the things I eat are accompanied by an assortment of lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, sour cream and cheese. The arrangement of the accompanying condiments depends on the actual dish, however, more often than not the condiments are placed on top. Tostadas, sopes, quesadillas de masa, gorditas and enchiladas all have an assortment of the condiments mentioned above that bring out the flavor of the dish. The other common thread behind all of these dishes, besides the condiments, is that they’re all fried. Having already made enchiladas before, and running short on time, I went with what I thought would be the next easiest thing to make: flautas. Flautas, otherwise known as rolled tacos, require little effort but are full of flavor. The balance of the crunch the flautas have with the freshness of the condiments on top and the taste of the meat is really striking. I went to the local grocery store with a dear friend of mine, and we collected what we needed. We got some tortillas, lettuce, tomato, avocado, sour cream and cheese. For the meat, we waddled over to the precooked chicken section and picked a lucky guy to come home with us. Short on time, using a chicken that was already cooked was the easiest and most time-effective thing to do. Otherwise, you can cook a chicken yourself or use shredded beef. The process of buying tortillas was rather difficult. The quality of tortillas here is low because they are packaged and sent to the grocery store. Throughout LA, and back home in San Diego, local grocery stores in predominantly Hispanic communities have their own machines which are used to make their own tortillas. Due to their freshness, and how they are made, these tortillas have a better taste, are stronger and have more use. I remember going shopping for tortillas with my mother when we still lived in Mexico. There, the tortilla is a very important staple because of its relatively low cost and its nutritious value. Because of this, what are referred to as tortillerias, are very prominent throughout communities. These are composed of large elaborate machines that make tortillas in large quantities. I explicitly remember how warm and loud the tortilleria we would visit on our way home from school was. The machines were in desperate need
EDGAR HERNANDEZ / LIFE & ARTS EDITOR
Looks familiar?: Some Mexican dishes share the common trait of relying on the same condiments. Although flautas look like enchiladas, there are differences between the two that create a completely different experience.
of some WD-40 and a fan would have not killed anyone. At the same I also remember the scent these places would exude — a wonderful scent of corn that was heightened by the warmth of the small shop. When my dear friend and I got back to my apartment, we got to work. While she chopped up some lettuce, tomato and avocado, I started working on the flautas. Flautas require a few simple steps. First you need to have the meat that you’re going to put inside ready. In this case, we used a chicken that was already cooked. The only thing I had to do was shred the chicken. Once I thought I had shredded enough, I started warming up some tortillas. If the tortillas are not warmed up, they are going to break and crumble when you try to wrap them. The tortillas don’t have to be completely warmed up, just warm enough so that they don’t break. Once the tortilla is a bit warm, you put chicken or meat in the tortilla. I recommend not over stuffing it, since that would make the next few steps a bit harder. The shredded chicken needs to be placed down the middle of the tortilla in as straight of a line as possible. Next, you roll the tortilla so it looks like a burrito with an open end on both sides. To make it hold together you need to strategically run a toothpick through the tortilla that will hold it together. Once I had as many flautas as I needed, the
joshua.downs@pepperdine.edu
edgar.hernandez@pepperdine.edu
Ingredients: 1 pack of tortillas 1 chicken 1 lettuce 2 tomatoes 1 avocado 1 container of sour cream 1 container of feta cheese
SPRING CONCERT: KEY TRACKS
The Spring Concert is quickly approaching this weekend. If you’re not well acquainted with Gym Class Heroes or Mat Kearney, here are some of their more popular tunes so you can study up and sing your heart out the day of the concert. Gym Class Heroes “Stereo Hearts” “Get Yourself Back Home” “The Queen and I” “Cupid’s Chokehold” “Clothes Off!!”
Spring Concert is on Saturday, March 31. Tickets are $10 for students. Scan the codes to the right to go straight to the artists’ playlist.
Mat Kearney ”Hey Mama” “Nothing Left to Lose” “Undeniable” “Ships in the Night” “Closer to Love”
Reserve Now for: Graduation / Grad Night Airport / Family / Friends Tours / Shopping
GemstarLimo.com 15% Off For All Pepperdine Students and Faculty
Headquarters @ 28955 PCH Malibu.
frying process began. For this part, I used quite a bit of cooking oil. Once the oil was warm I began to gently place the flautas in the pan. You’ll be sure that the oil is warm enough if it makes a sizzling sound as soon as the tortilla touches the oil. I let the flautas sit there for a few minutes, then I flipped them. They need to be in the oil until they turn a golden color. Once I removed them from the pan, I placed them on a plate that was covered by a towel napkin. This extracts the excess oil the flauta might be carrying saving you from a heart attack. Once all the flautas were out we waited for them to cool a bit before putting on the condiments. The best way to layer the condiments is to start with the lettuce. The lettuce acts as a good base that can somewhat hold the rest of the condiments in place. If preferred, all the condiments can just be served on the side.
TCP 4149P